1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color correction apparatus and a method thereof, and in particular to an improved color correction apparatus and a method thereof which are capable of significantly minimizing a metamerism occurring in accordance with a light, observing angle and material in red, green and blue color values generated by a color scanner.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a digital imaging operation with respect to colors including a metamerism using a conventional color scanner.
As shown therein, a color A 111 having a metamerism and a color B 112 having a metamerism have different light splitting reflection values, but are recognized as the identical color under a predetermined observing environment. However, the color Axe2x80x2131 which does not have the metamerism and the color Bxe2x80x2132 which does not have the metamerism after a scanning operation is performed using the color scanner 120 may not be recognized as the identical color under the same observing environment for the reason that an image input apparatus such as the color scanner 120 resolves the image into red, green and blue components and digitally image-processes the image using a n-number of bits to an integer value from 0 to (2Nxe2x88x921) for thereby generating a color recognition capacity of people and other colors.
In the digital image process of the image using a conventional color scanner, the user uses a color matching apparatus and technique for matching the original image and the color. The metamerism problem that other colors are recognized as the same color in accordance with the observing environment such as light, material and observing angle, is not recognized as an important matter.
Therefore, when observing the colors after the colors having the metamerism are digitally image-processed using a color scanner under a predetermined observing environment, two colors may not be matched.
In addition, recently, the electronic image industry using the computer is sharply increased, and the publication and advertising based on the DTP (Desk Top Publishing) is also increased. Therefore, in the industry, a color scanner having a large capacity is increasingly needed. However, the color input capacity of the color scanner is not fully satisfied.
The digital image obtained by the color scanner in the Ad fabrication, printing and publication industry is outputted to an output apparatus, and much manpower and time are needed for matching the original image with the colors for thereby increasing the time and manpower consumption, so that the productivity of the system is decreased.
In the case of the home shopping, the product information is converted to a digital image using the color scanner. In this case, since the conventional scanner does not fully support various color resolutions, the customer may return the product due to the different colors due to an inaccurate color resolution.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a color correction apparatus for minimizing a metamerism of a color scanner and a method therefor which overcome the aforementioned problems encountered in the conventional art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a color correction apparatus for minimizing a metamerism of a color scanner and a method therefor which are capable of minimizing the metamerism of a color scanner for providing a digital image in which the metamerism matching with a color information which is recognizable by people by converting a red, green and blue color value of the color scanner to a light splitting reflection value corresponding thereto and converting the converted light splitting reflection value to a standard color value (CIE XYZ, CIE L*a*b CIE L*C*h) of the CIE(Commission International Del"" Edairange).
In order to achieve the above objects, there is provided a color correction apparatus for minimizing a metamerism of a color scanner which includes a color measuring unit for measuring a light splitting reflection value of a color sample; a metamerism minimizing color correction unit for receiving R, G, B color values of the color sample and a light splitting reflection value inputted from the color measuring unit, obtaining a metamerism minimizing color correction parameter and converting the R, G, B color values inputted from a color scanner into a light splitting reflection value using the metamerism minimizing color correction parameter; a color value converting unit for determining a color value conversion parameter selection value in accordance with an externally inputted selection signal and converting a light splitting reflection value inputted from the metamerism minimizing color correction unit into a standard color value using the color value conversion parameter in accordance with the determined color value conversion parameter selection value; and a storing unit for providing the stored color value conversion parameter in accordance with the color value conversion parameter selection value received from the color value conversion unit and storing the metamerism minimizing color correction parameter obtained by the metamerism minimizing color correction unit.
In order to achieve the above objects, there is provided a color correction method for minimizing a metamerism of a color scanner which includes the steps of a first step for determining a metamerism minimizing color correction parameter using a measured light splitting reflection value and R, G, B color values of the color sample; a second step for converting the R, G, B color value of an object inputted through a color scanner into a light splitting reflection value using the determined metamerism minimizing color correction parameter; and a third step for converting the converted light splitting reflection value into a standard color value using the selected color value conversion parameter after the color value conversion parameter is selected.
Additional advantages, objects and other features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims as a result of the experiment compared to the conventional arts.